Brexit Talks Collapse Again, Clock Ticks On PM’s Exit

The Guardian reports:

The government and Labour have sought to blame each other after cross-party talks to find a compromise Brexit plan collapsed, leaving any remaining hopes of an imminent solution to the impasse in tatters.

While both sides insisted the discussions had taken place in good faith, Theresa May said a sticking point had been Labour splits over a second referendum.

Labour in turn said the government had been unwilling to compromise and that May’s imminent departure from Downing Street meant there was no guarantee any promises would be kept by a successor such as Boris Johnson.

The Washington Post reports:

With her own Conservative Party lawmakers openly demanding a timetable for her departure, not a day goes by without Britain’s political class guessing when May will leave office. Will it be next month? Or July? Or October? May has promised to offer a date soon.

In the tragicomedy that is Brexit, the latest narrative casts a deeply unpopular, fatally wounded but principled prime minister doing all she can to get her unpopular Brexit deal passed in the House of Commons.

May said this week she will seek an unprecedented fourth vote on her withdrawal treaty — you read that number right — in early June. The first three attempts ended in failure.

The BBC reports:



The pound has sunk to a four-month low against the dollar after cross-party Brexit talks between the Conservatives and Labour collapsed. On Friday evening, the pound was 0.52% lower against the dollar at $1.273, having had its worst week in a year.

The pound was 2% lower this week, its steepest decline since February last year when it fell by more than 2%. Its fall reflects investors pricing a higher chance of the UK leaving the EU without a deal, analysts said.